Colorado’s Lauren Betts becomes first from the state to win NCAA tournament’s Most Outstanding Player
Apr 6, 2026, 4:07 PM
Women’s sports is booming in Colorado right now! Between the buzz around the new soccer team, the Denver Summit, and now a Colorado native doing something that’s never been done by someone in our state, the ladies are dominating!
Lauren Betts’ journey from Grandview High School in Aurora to the top of women’s college basketball is complete.
The UCLA senior was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on Sunday after leading the Bruins to their first national championship with a 79-51 rout of South Carolina. Betts became the first player from Colorado to win the award.
The 6-foot-7 center finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in the title game and posted 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in UCLA’s 51-44 semifinal win over Texas.
Betts was the nation’s No. 1 high school recruit out of Grandview, where she led the Wolves to the Class 5A state title during her senior season in 2022. She won back-to-back Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year honors and played in the McDonald’s All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic.
She initially signed with Stanford before transferring to UCLA, where she became a two-time All-American. This season, she became the first Big Ten player to win Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season.
Betts shared the championship with her younger sister, Sienna, a freshman on the team.
She is projected to be the No. 4 overall pick in the upcoming WNBA draft by the Washington Mystics.
